Space Force Guardians in seven career fields are eligible for a hefty reenlistment bonus — potentially up to $180,000 with a career cap of $360,000 in total.
The list of jobs eligible for the Selective Retention Bonus, or SRB, were not publicized in a news release this week, but the eligible careers were provided to Military.com by a spokesperson on Friday. The bonuses are aimed at retaining skilled Guardians in some of the service’s most crucial job fields. They include:
- 5C0X1D — Cyber Operations, Defense Cyber Operations
- 5C0X1N — Cyber Operations, Network Operations
- 5C0X1R — Cyber Operations, RF Operations
- 5C0X1S — Cyber Operations, Systems Operations
- 5I0X1 — All Source Analyst
- 5I2X1X — Cryptologic Analyst
- 5S0X1 — Space Systems Operations
“The SRB program serves as a retention tool, targeting experienced enlisted personnel in critical career fields, particularly those with lower manning or retention rates,” the service said in a press release earlier this week. “Additionally, specialties involving extensive initial skills training and stringent qualification requirements are considered.”
Space Force officials said the bonus payments may come in a lump sum or in partial payments. The $180,000 bonus marks an $80,000 increase from the prior year. The service did not remove any career fields from its list in 2024.
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Additionally, Guardians can now reenlist up to 12 months before the end of their current contracts. The service limit for accepting bonuses has also been increased from six years (72 months) to eight years (96 months).
“The change allows Guardians to maximize the amount received from eligible retention bonuses in addition to allowing Guardians in any Space Force Specialty Code flexibility in their reenlistment contract,” the service said in the news release.
The service, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in December, is hoping to retain many of its skilled Guardians as it slowly grows the ranks.
The Space Force requested an end strength of 9,800 Guardians from Congress for fiscal 2025, an increase of 400 from the prior year, according to congressional documents.
Department of the Air Force officials announced earlier this year that it is seeking $25 million for Space Force selective retention bonuses and initial enlistment bonuses in fiscal 2025, a 450% increase over the fiscal 2024 budget.
Due in part to the small number of billets the Space Force has to hit each year, as well as reliance on service transfers to grow the ranks, the branch has not struggled to hit its required enlistment numbers like the Army, Air Force or Navy in recent years.
Last month, the Space Force announced it was opening up applications for those in the Air Force Reserve to become full-time Space Force Guardians as the Air Force slowly sheds some of its space-related career fields.
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